In a time when it seems that everything has been canceled, we were thrilled to be able to host our very first Scarlet Hope Network Virtual Training last month. In this two-hour online course, Scarlet Hope Founder and President, Rachelle Starr, gave tips, strategies, and ideas on how to continue doing ministry in the midst of a pandemic.
In a ministry that is so focused on relationship-building and individualized care, there is no doubt that mandatory business closures and social distancing have created huge challenges for all of us. During the training, Rachelle gave some examples of ways we have continued to minister to women through this time. One of the most effective ways we have been able to reach women is by offering weekly drop-in hours to all of the women we know from the industry. As soon as everything shut down, our outreach team began reaching out to everyone they had ever met in the clubs, letting the women know when and where to go to receive food and toiletry essentials and prayer.
At the training, Rachelle explained how offering this service has allowed Scarlet Hope to give hundreds of food and toiletry boxes to women from the industry, as well as opened up opportunities to pray with them, encourage them, and build relationships with them. Similar to our strategy when doing strip club outreach, we are finding that consistency and having no agenda has opened many doors and helped us to build trust with women who do not easily trust Christians.
At the end of the first session, Rachelle ended with this quote from Corrie Ten Boom: “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” We know that only our holy and good God could take such a difficult season and turn it into an opportunity to build stronger relationships with the women we’ve been called to serve. It was wonderful to be able to share some of the incredible things God has done in the midst of this pandemic, and encourage others to keep faithfully carrying out the mission God has called them to.
